Loneliness among people living with dementia: results from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Abstract Background Literature often focuses on loneliness as a risk factor for dementia. However, loneliness among those living with dementia (PLWD) is yet to be further explored. Method Secondary analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Across ELSA waves 1 to 9, we identified 181 participants who reported being diagnosed with dementia and randomly selected 775 (10%) non‐dementia participants (NDP) from wave 2 (2004‐2005). For PLWD, the baseline was the year they reported the diagnosis. For NDP, the baseline was information from waves 1 and 2. We obtained a two‐year lagged loneliness for a subsample (n = 70 PLWD and n = 569 NDP). We computed multiple linear regression models using bootstrap errors with 1000 iterations to describe the average levels of loneliness among people living with dementia in England. Result Both groups did not differ in their socioeconomic characteristics except for age. PLWD were, on average, 76 years old (Sd = 9.74), and NDP was 66 years old (sd = 9.53). The average level of loneliness was 4.71 (sd = 1.74) for PLWD and 4.07 (sd = 1.47) for NDP. At baseline, the loneliness prevalence was 15.76% among PLWD and 7.55% for NDP. Among PLWD, the average 2‐year lagged loneliness was 4.72 (sd = 1.79), and 21% reported problematic loneliness, and among NDP, it was 4.18 (sd = 1.52) and 10%, respectively. Adjusted baseline levels of loneliness were statistically significantly higher among PLWD (Coef. = 0.694; 95% CI: 0.393‐0.994). For the 2‐year lagged loneliness, dementia and non‐dementia participants did not significantly differ in their levels of loneliness. Conclusion Public policies should consider tackling loneliness among people living with dementia.